Board of Education; policy on certain instructionalmaterial and related academic activities; annual parental notification;replacement or alternative material and activities; local compliance.Requires the Board of Education to establish, and each local schoolboard to comply with, a policy to require each public elementaryor secondary school to (i) annually notify the parent of any student enrolled in a class or course in which the instructional materialor related academic activities includes or may include sexually explicitcontent, as defined in the bill, or content that depicts sexual misconduct,as defined in the bill; (ii) permit the parent of any student toreview instructional material that includes sexually explicit contentor content that depicts sexual misconduct, upon request; and (iii)provide, as a replacement or an alternative to instructional materialand related academic activities that include sexually explicit contentor content that depicts sexual misconduct, instructional materialand related academic activities that do not include sexually explicit content or content that depicts sexual misconduct to any studentwhose parent so requests.
Sponsored bills
Charitable gaming; exemptions from certain requirementsfor specified organizations. Exempts qualified organizationsthat reasonably expect, on the basis of prior charitable gaming annual results or any other quantifiable method, to realize grossreceipts of $15,000 or less from all charitable gaming other than raffles, conducted on a total of no more than seven days per calendaryear, from the requirements to (i) notify the Department of Agricultureand Consumer Services (the Department) of their intention to conductsuch charitable gaming or (ii) comply with the regulations of theCharitable Gaming Board. Under current law, only qualified organizationsthat reasonably expect to realize gross receipts of $40,000 or lessfrom raffles in any 12-month period are exempt from these requirements.The bill provides that any qualified organization may sell instantbingo, pull tabs, or seal cards that are dispensed by mechanicalequipment only, provided that the sale is limited to two events ofno more than 14 days each per calendar year. Under current law, onlyathletic associations or booster clubs or band booster clubs maysell instant bingo, pull tabs, or seal cards at a single event ina calendar year. Finally, the bill prohibits the Department fromrequiring a qualified organization that realizes annual gross receiptsof $15,000 or less to file a report of its receipts and disbursements.
Absentee voting; permanent absentee voter listrepealed. Repeals the provisions of law by which any registered voter may apply to receive absentee ballots for all elections inwhich he is eligible to vote and remains on the list until the voterrequests in writing to be removed from the list, the voter's registrationis canceled or placed on inactive status pursuant to law, or thevoter moves to a different address not in the same county or cityof his registration.
United States Constitution; application fora convention of the states. Makes application to Congress tocall a convention of the states to propose amendments to the UnitedStates Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federalgovernment, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government,and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.
Law-enforcement officers; retired law-enforcementofficers; carrying a firearm or explosive material within CapitolSquare and the surrounding area. Exempts any law-enforcementofficer from the prohibition on carrying a firearm or explosive materialwithin the Capitol of Virginia and Capitol Square and the surroundingarea. The bill further allows any law-enforcement officer or qualifiedretired law-enforcement officer to carry a firearm or explosive materialwithin any building owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agencythereof, or any office where employees of the Commonwealth or agencythereof are regularly present to perform their official duties. Undercurrent law, a law-enforcement officer is exempted only while actingin the conduct of his official duties, and a retired law-enforcementofficer is limited to carrying a firearm while visiting a gun rangeowned or leased by the Commonwealth. The bill also clarifies that "Capitol Square and the surrounding area" as defined in current lawdoes not include any public road or highway.
Parental Choice Education Savings Accounts established. Permits the parents of qualified students, defined in the bill,to apply to the school division in which the qualified student residesfor a one-year, renewable Parental Choice Education Savings Accountthat consists of an amount that is equivalent to a certain percentageof all applicable annual Standards of Quality per pupil state fundsappropriated for public school purposes and apportioned to the residentschool division in which the qualified student resides, includingthe per pupil share of state sales tax funding in basic aid and anystate per pupil share of special education funding for which the qualified student is eligible. The bill permits the parent of the qualifiedstudent to use the moneys in such account for certain education-relatedexpenses of the qualified student, including tuition, deposits, fees,and required textbooks at a private elementary school or secondaryschool that is located in the Commonwealth. The bill also contains provisions relating to auditing, rescinding, and reviewing expensesmade from such accounts.
Conditional release of geriatric prisoners.Expands the list of offenses that would prohibit a person from petitioningthe Parole Board for conditional release as a geriatric prisonerif the offense was committed on or after July 1, 2022.
Constitutional amendment (first reference);education; state appropriations to private schools. Removes the requirement that private schools be nonsectarian in order to be eligiblefor appropriation of state funds.
Voter registration; registration permitted upto and including the day of the election. Repeals a provision that would permit any person who is qualified to register to voteto register to vote in person up to and including the day of theelection, notwithstanding any deadline for the close of registrationrecords. The repeal will limit the persons who are entitled to registerto vote after the close of registration records to (i) any memberof a uniformed service of the United States who is on active duty,(ii) any person residing temporarily outside of the United States,and (iii) the spouse or dependent residing with someone listed in(i) or (ii).
Absentee voting; excuse required to vote absenteeby mail; excuse required to vote absentee in person prior to thesecond Saturday preceding an election. Requires a registeredvoter to provide a reason for being absent or unable to vote at hispolling place on election day in order to receive an absentee ballotto vote by mail. Registered voters offering to vote absentee in personare similarly required by the bill to provide a reason until thesecond Saturday immediately preceding an election, at which timean excuse is not required to vote absentee in person. The bill providesthat an application for an absentee ballot is required to receivean absentee ballot by mail and to vote absentee in person beforethe second Saturday immediately preceding an election. The bill alsorepeals the permanent absentee voter list and limits the special annual application to those voters with an illness or disability.